Stand
by MrMadChef
Summary: SPOILERS: NCIS:LA 1.21 "Found" After Dom Vail's death, Gibbs, McGee and Abby go to LA to pay their respects and comfort their friends. Mainly Gibbs/Callen, some McAbby friends only, possibly Tim/Eric and Abby/Eric, we'll see what happens. NOT SLASH.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my second fic, my first being Requiem. Spoilers for NCIS:LA Ep. 1:21 "Found." Major pairing here is Gibbs/Callen, other pairings may include Tim/Abby, Tim/Eric, Abby/Eric, to be determined as the story develops. Not slash, not romantic, but friends and fellow agents helping each other deal with a tragic loss.

* * *

It was late Wednesday afternoon at the navy yard in Washington, DC, where Special Agent Gibbs and his team were wrapping up the paperwork on their latest case. It had been fairly simple, as cases went, and considering they were not on rotation for the coming weekend, all of them were both hoping the rest of the week would be quiet and looking forward to the weekend. In the midst of their banter as they filled out various forms, Gibbs phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Hey, Gunny." Gibbs knew the voice on the other end of the line, but the tone told him something wasn't right.

"Callen. What's going on?" he said, concern creeping into his voice.

"I really don't know how to say this..." Callen's voice trailed off, adding to Gibbs concern for his friend.

"Just say it. Can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on."

"We, uh... we found Dom." Callen managed to get the words out, but Gibbs waited to reply, knowing his friend well enough to know there was more coming. "He was being held at an old theatre here in LA. We got him out... well, almost. There... was a shootout. He died in the crossfire," his voice breaking as he forced the last words out.

"Callen, I'm sorry." It was a rare moment, in which Leroy Jethro Gibbs found himself at a loss for words.

"I just... I..." Callen searched for words, finding none.

"Sounds like you could use a friend. Is the service set?"

"No, not yet," Callen replied softly, trying desperately to keep himself together. "Probably in the next couple of days."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Gibbs said simply. He decided not to mention that McGee and Abby would probably be joining him, knowing they would both want to join him in paying their respects to the fallen agent, and knowing full well the relationships they'd built with their LA counterparts.

"Thanks, Jethro."

Gibbs clipped his phone shut, and started towards the stairs to speak with Director Vance. He was sure the director already knew, and while he had no intention of taking no for an answer, he knew he would need his approval to take time off to go to LA alone, much less with Tim and Abby in tow. His team looked on as he mounted the stairs, but said nothing. They knew something had happened, but also knew, from years of experience, it would be far better to wait until Gibbs was ready to tell them, rather than to pry.

* * *

"I take it you've heard," Vance said as Gibbs walked into his office, with much less edge in his voice than the field agent was accustomed to.

"Just got off the phone with Callen," he replied.

"Can I further assume that you'll be joining me in LA for Agent Vail's Service?" Vance replied, the look in his eyes matching the tone of his voice.

"That you can, Leon. Callen's practically family."

"I figured as much. Cynthia's working on the flight arrangements," he added. "This never gets any easier," he sighed. "Anyone else on your team know yet?"

"No, but I'm about to go tell McGee and Abby. Figure both of them will want to be there too."

"I'll see to it." Gibbs nodded his understanding, and turned to leave. Just be for reaching the door, he turned back to Vance.

"Leon?" Vance looked up, a questioning look on his face. "I appreciate this."

"It's the least I can do, Jethro," he replied.

* * *

"McGee, with me," Gibbs called out as he reached the bottom of the stairs, immediately heading for the elevator, with a somewhat confused Tim McGee on his six. Tim considered asking his boss what was going on, but nearly six years working with the man told him that when he was ready, he'd tell him what was going on. He also thought better of asking where they were headed at the moment, instead looking over to the elevator panel, noticing he had selected the floor where Abby's lab was located, leaving them to ride down in a rather uncomfortable silence.

The doors opened, and without waiting for a cue, he followed his boss into Abby's lab.

"Gibbs!" she said as he walked in. "This is unusual. I mean, unusual for you, considering the case is wrapped up and I don't have anything for you, and usually the only time you come down here is when I'm working on evidence for you, in which case I'd have something for you, well, usually, because sometimes you come down before I've had a chance to find anything to give you-"

"Abs," he said quietly, putting a finger to the bubbly goth's lips to silence her.

"Sorry, Gibbs. Hi, Timmy," she said, noticing at last that Gibbs hadn't come alone, and now wondering why he'd brought McGee along.

Gibbs turned and closed the door, which piqued the curiosity of both of them, before beginning to speak. "Abby, you probably want to sit down before I tell you this." She sat, obediently, and Tim moved next to her, his gut telling him she was going to want him nearby. Gibbs let out a sigh before speaking again.

"I got a call from Agent Callen in L.A. a few minutes ago. They found Agent Vail, but there was a shootout during the rescue. He was caught in the crossfire. He didn't make it." A gasp escaped Abby's lips, tears forming in her eyes as Tim put an arm around her, as much to comfort her as to steady himself. Gibbs put an arm on her shoulder before continuing. "I'm sorry, Abby."

"When is the service?" Abby asked, holding back tears.

"Hasn't been set yet, probably in the next couple of days." He could see the emotion just below the surface, knowing full well Abby cared deeply about her friends, and had already anticipated her next question.

"Can I go with you?" she asked, looking at Gibbs hopefully, as her tears streaked makeup down her face.

"I've already talked to Director Vance. Both of you will be coming along, if you like," he said, looking at McGee, who thus far hadn't said a word.

"Thanks, Boss. That was going to be my next question," Tim replied, silently grateful that Gibbs had learned a lot about him in the six years they'd spent working together.

Gibbs let out another sigh before continuing. "Go home, get packed, meet me back here tomorrow. I'll call you as soon as the flight is set." He gave Abby another hug before turning to head back upstairs.

"Boss?" Tim said quietly, causing Gibbs to turn back around to face him. "Uh, if it's ok... I'd like to stay down here with Abby for a bit."

"Take as much time as you need, Tim," Gibbs replied, before continuing to the elevator. He still had to inform the rest of his team. As the elevator doors slid closed, his mind went back to the loss of Kate Todd. Kate. A fine agent, a good friend, who'd given her life to save a teammate. As the elevator made its ascent to the bullpen, Gibbs remembered what they had all gone through after her death, and found himself growing anxious to get to Los Angeles. If he knew Callen as well as he thought he did, he knew the younger man was going to need someone to help him through this.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Many apologies for the delay and the short chapter. It's been a while since I've posted so I wanted to get something out, and life got in the way over the weekend. I've got plenty of ideas for where I'm going to go with this story, and I've got a basic outline done. Also, I do hope you'll forgive me some artistic license in later chapters; Kensi has a surprise in store for us. As always, reviews are welcome.

* * *

Thursday morning found Vance, Gibbs, McGee and Abby driving in a companionable silence under the warm Los Angeles sun, headed for the mission-style building that housed the Office of Special Projects, all the while wishing that the trip wasn't happening. Any of the four of them would have given just about anything to wake up and find the whole thing had been a dream; some kind of cruel trick of the mind. But they each knew it wasn't the case. What they didn't know was what to expect when they reached their destination, even though it was a situation they had all faced before.

They had decided against heading to their hotel first to settle in, all agreeing that getting to the OSP was far more important, not to mention Gibbs was eager to see Callen. It was an anxiety shared by the other occupants of the car, albeit in different forms. Tim McGee, in particular, had been looking forward to another visit to the west coast, but he never imagined it would be for a funeral. He knew that he'd take back all the desire for another visit if it would bring Dom back, but he knew that nothing could change reality.

As they approached the mission, they saw a woman standing outside, short in stature but with wisdom and experience that showed on her features. She approached them as they exited the rented sedan.

"Director Vance, thank you for coming. I do wish your visit was under better circumstances."

"I think we'd all prefer that, Hetty," Leon Vance replied, somewhat grimly as he took her hand in greeting. "How is everyone doing?"

"About as well as can be expected, overall, I'd say. I do sincerely appreciate all of you being here," the tone of her voice revealing that there were a few members of her team that she felt were having a harder time dealing with the loss than others. She turned to lead them inside the mission, quickly taking Vance with her to her office, to discuss matters over a cup of tea.

"Gunny!" a voice called from the bullpen, belonging to one Special Agent G. Callen as he made his way over to where the trio stood. "I really appreciate you making the trip out here. All of you," he added, turing to Tim and Abby.

"It's the least I can do, Callen. Couldn't let you face this alone," Gibbs replied. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Yeah." Callen turned to lead him toward the back of the mission, before turning back. "Tim? Do you think you could go talk to Eric? I'm a little worried about him. Ever since all this happened..."

"Say no more," Tim replied. "Just point me in the right direction."

"Straight up the stairs, you'll find him in the ops center, most likely," Callen said, turning back to Gibbs to lead him out to their destination.

"I think I'll go find Kensi," Abby said, remembering the agent she had met on one of her trips to the OSP.

"You sure you're OK? I can go talk to Eric later, if you want me to stay close by," McGee said, with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Timmy, I'll be OK. Besides, I'm sure Kensi could use a friend right now, and I'll bet she's not the only one." Tim agreed wordlessly, and started up the stairs to find Eric.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Apologies, as usual, for the delay. I've pretty well got the story mapped out, so now it's just a matter of finding the time to finish it up. Look for the conclusion to be out by the end of next week.

Lots of emotion in this chapter; you may want to have a box of Kleenex handy. :-D

Thanks for reading this far; your reviews, favorites, and alerts give me the encouragement to keep on writing and create a better story.

**SPOILERS: **References events of NCIS 4.19 _Grace Period_

* * *

Tim McGee walked into the ops center in search of Eric Beal, the OSP's resident tech geek and a man who had become a friend after McGee and Gibbs' last visit to Los Angeles. While he wasn't expecting the enthusiastic greeting he'd become accustomed to in light of the reason for their visit, he wasn't expecting to find the ops center quiet, with Eric simply staring off into space, not even acknowledging Tim's presence. Not even one of his video games, a shared passion between the two men, graced the screens. The silence was eerie, and almost deafening.

"Hey, Eric," Tim said quietly as he came up behind him, hoping not to startle him.

"Oh, hi Tim," Eric replied, turning around to face him without rising from his chair, and without meeting his eyes. The light in those eyes was considerably dimmer, and the exuberance Tim had come to admire in the other man was noticeably absent. "I suppose Callen asked you to come find me?"

"Yeah, he did, but even if he hadn't, I still would have come looking for you," Tim replied softly, pulling up a chair to sit across from his friend. He thouht of saying something else, hoping to get Eric talking, but his years of working with Special Agent Gibbs had taught him that sometimes, it's better to give the other person a chance to open up on their own terms. So he waited, silently, wishing there was something he could do.

"I can't help but feel like part of this is my fault, Tim," Eric said, his voice almost a whisper.

"How do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Tim, I'm the tech guy!" he said, the tone of his voice inching higer. "I'm supposed to find these things out! I could have tracked his cell phone sooner, I could have taken extra time to pull more security footage, I could have..."

"Eric, stop," Tim cut him off before he could continue. "I know Dom was your friend, and I don't doubt for a minute that you did everything you could with everything you had to find him. You can't go farther than the evidence will take you."

"I know, but I still feel like I could have done more. And what if I'd been more careful with that hard drive?"

"What hard drive?" Tim asked, a look of curiousity coloring his features.

Eric sighed deeply before continuing. "Callen, Sam, and Kensi went to an Ethiopian youth center, following up on a lead on Dom. There was a man there who grabbed his laptop and ran off. Kensi chased him down, but he threw his laptop into the center's swimming pool. She dove in after it, and after Sam caught the runner, they brought the laptop back to me to see if I could get anything off it. I dried it off as best I could before I tried to get the info off of it, but it blew up in my hand. So, I dried it some more and tried again, and finally found some information we could use. But I can't help but think that if I'd been more careful, if I'd taken more time, we could have gotten to Dom sooner."

"Eric, listen," Tim said, looking him straight in the eye. "You can't blame yourself for this. You did everything you could."

"How do you know that?" Eric replied, a hint of tension creeping into his voice. "Do you even know how it feels?"

"Actually, I do," McGee said, the sadness evident in his voice catching Eric's attention.

"What happened?" he asked, with genuine curiosity, and a bit of remorse for snapping at his friend.

Tim took a deep breath before starting his tale. "It was about a year after I joined the Major Case team; I was still a new agent, still getting used to how things worked. We were off rotation that weekend, and got called in to the agency. That's when we found out that the team that was on that weekend had been out following a lead that had been called in about a terrorist cell. Two of them followed a suspect into a building, and their supervisor was about to join them. Maybe ten seconds after they walked in, a bomb went off. The suspect was a suicide bomber. The two that followed the suspect in didn't survive." He paused, summoning the strength to continue. "One of them was a friend, Jim Nelson. He and I went through FLETC together; I wouldn't have graduated without his help. I had just been to his wedding two months before, and when I got that phone call..." his voice trailed off.

"Tim, I'm sorry, I didn't know," Eric said softly, feeling terrible about how he had acted towards the man who only wanted to help him.

"The point is, I did the same thing you're doing now. I blamed myself. I knew we should have been on rotation that weekend, and I even told Abby that for all we knew, I should have been one of the bodies in autopsy. But like she told me, it doesn't do any good to think like that."

"So, what happened?"

"Well, after Gibbs found me hiding out in Abby's lab and he helped me up off the floor where I was sitting, I went back to my desk to work on paperwork, run down leads, do the tech work, try to take my mind off what had happened. But it wasn't that easy. I kept making mistakes, having to go back over what I'd already done. Gibbs came back upstairs not long after that and found me. That's when he told me, he knew what I was thinking, it could have been us. He told me it had been us more than once, and in the time I've spent working with him, I've found out that that's true. It's no use worrying; you'll make yourself crazy. But I also found out that underneath that gruff exterior, he really does care. I've never told anyone this, but after Jim's funeral, I ended up going over to his house. I needed to talk to someone, and he had told me his door was always open. I was scared of what he'd think of me, but he helped me deal with the pain, and he reminded me that I had a big part in getting justice for Jim." Tim paused a moment before continuing. "I know I don't know exactly how you feel right now, but I want you to know I've been there, and if you need someone to talk to, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Tim," Eric replied, with tears in his eyes. "I just... like I said, I felt like there was more I could have done. I know that's true, but..."

"But you can't shake the feeling," Tim said, putting an arm on his friend's shoulder. Eric tried to continue, but all that came out was a small sob, as the emotion he'd been holding on to threatened to finally break loose. Tim pulled Eric closer, putting his arms around him as he finally let go of everything he'd been feeling.

* * *

Callen and Gibbs had known each other a long time. They'd both lost people close to them. For Gibbs, it had been his wife, Shannon, and their beautiful daughter, Kelly. Then there had been Kate Todd, the former Secret Service agent he'd hired after working a case aboard Air Force One with her. There had been Jenny Shephard, who he'd later found out had been keeping from him that she knew she was dying. In a strange way, he found a small comfort knowing that when the time finally came, she died on her own terms. Being no stranger to loss, he had a good idea of how his friend was feeling, but he also knew that the pain never got any easier to deal with. He hoped that somehow, he could help Callen deal with the pain he was feeling, as he followed the younger man to the surprisingly well-kept garden to be found behind the mission. Apparently, Hetty's talents included maintaining a serene, peaceful space behind their headquarters, where she could sometimes be found sipping a cup of her beloved tea. Today, thankfully, the garden was empty, save the two special agents who walked together in a companionable silence, before Callen finally found words.

"Thanks for coming, Jethro," he said quietly to his older companion.

"It's the least I could do, Callen." As much as he wanted to pry into the younger man's thoughts, he knew that would get him no where, and could, in fact, cause him to shut down, which was the exact opposite of his purpose in coming. As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long.

"I suppose you know a thing or two about losing someone you care about, don't you Gunny?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Gibbs replied, being careful to keep his voice even.

"I'd ask you if it ever gets any easier to deal with, but I get the feeling I already know the answer."

"And what do you think that answer is?"

"I'd say no, it doesn't. Can't keep me from wishing it would, though," Callen said.

"Well, first things first. Did you catch the guys that did this to your agent?" Gibbs asked the younger man.

"Yeah. They died in the shootout. Small consolation," he replied bitterly.

"The reason I ask, is because I've learned that as hard as it is, you can't stop to mourn until you get justice. Looks like you've got that covered," Gibbs said, a slight smirk evident on his face and in his voice.

"So why doesn't it feel like justice?" Callen asked, turning to face Gibbs, unshed tears in his eyes.

"Because you still lost an agent, a good agent, and more importantly, a friend. Justice doesn't always feel good, and it doesn't take away the pain, but at least you know that you got it for him."

"You know what the last thing he said to Sam was?" Callen said, his voice dangerously close to cracking. Gibbs silently waited for the younger man to answer his own question. "I knew you'd find me. Well, we found him, but apparently not fast enough," he said, his voice catching.

"Hey. Look at me," Jethro said firmly, placing a hand on Callen's shoulder. "You had nothing to go on. You did everything you could. And you found him. That's what matters. And even though he died, he died knowing you never gave up on him."

The dam of Callen's tears finally broke, and Jethro put his arms around his friend and pulled him close, the way he'd done for Kelly so many years before, feeling like the father figure that he knew, in so many ways, he was to the younger man.

"Still seems... like small comfort..." Callen said through his tears.

"I know," Gibbs replied simply. He kept to himself the knowledge that sometimes, you just have to take what you can get.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Many thanks again to all who have added alerts and favorites! This has definitely been the toughest chapter for me to write, which partially explains the delays; I hope I did well! Also, I hope you'll forgive me some artistic license in this chapter, as I've made a singer out of Kensi.

* * *

The moment they had been dreading, the day they had hoped and prayed would never arrive, was finally upon them. The moment they would say their last goodbyes to Special Agent Dominic Vail. They had arrived at the tastefully decorated, family-run funeral home, only to find that the service would be held outdoors. Dom had always enjoyed the warm California sun, and his parents could think of no better way to pay final tribute to their sun than to say goodbye in the outdoors that he so loved.

Callen sat in the second row, behind Dom's parents, trying to stay stoic but fidgeting slightly, dreading the moment to come, when he would deliver his eulogy. He didn't trust himself to be able to both keep his composure and remember everything he wanted to say, so he occupied himself by running his fingers over the notecard he held. Jethro Gibbs, seated beside him, put a hand on Callen's shoulder to offer him support. The younger man smiled slightly, trying to hide the myriad of emotions coursing through him as he listened to the funeral proceed. Finally, his time to speak came. He rose slowly, joined by Jethro Gibbs, who stayed at his side to offer comfort and support to his friend, as well as his teammates in the OSP, the people he regarded as his best friends, and increasingly as his family. Gibbs knew all too well how hard it was to speak at an event such as this, and he wanted nothing more than to help his young friend do the best he could.

Callen set his notes down on the lectern in front of him, gripped the sides, and gathered his courage as he prepared to speak.

"I wanted to come up here and tell you that Dominic Vail would have made a great special agent someday, but I know that's not true. He is... was, a great special agent. He was devoted to his job, he loved what he did, and he wanted to learn all he could. More than that, he was devoted to the members of his team. He cared, and he knew and understood what it was to be a part of a team that in so many ways is like a family. I can't begin to tell you how much it hurts to lose him, especially like this, but I know that he knew that we never gave up on him." Callen forced the last words out before his voice could crack, already feeling the tears streaming down his face. Jethro put an arm around his shoulders to guide him back to his seat, followed by the rest of the team.

As the service came to a close, Kensi stepped forward once again. Technically speaking, she had been Dom's partner, so it was no surprise to any of them that she would have something to say, even though her teammates were curious why she had waited until now. But what surprised them all was that as Dom's casket was wheeled way, the words that came out of her mouth weren't spoken; they were sung.

_Precious Lord, take my hand_

_Lead me on, let me stand_

_I am tired, I am weak, I am worn_

_Through the storm, through the night_

_Lead me on to the light_

_Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home_

_When my way grows drear_

_Precious Lord linger near_

_When my life is almost gone_

_Hear my cry, hear my call_

_Hold my hand lest I fall_

_Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home_

_When the darkness appears_

_And the night draws near_

_And the day is past and gone_

_At the river I stand_

_Guide my feet, hold my hand_

_Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home_

_Precious Lord, take my hand_

_Lead me on, let me stand_

_I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm lone_

_Through the storm, through the night_

_Lead me on to the light_

_Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home_

She sang with a talent that few knew she possessed, and with soul few of them knew existed, drawn from the experiences of her own life. Kensi Blye was no stranger to loss, and it tore her apart that Dom's name would be added to that list. As she finished, neither she nor her teammates could hold back tears.


End file.
